(PRESS RELEASE) -- LOS ANGELES – Through over a decade of
broadcasting some of the world’s most exciting mixed martial arts
and kickboxing events, AXS TV FIGHTS celebrates its 250th broadcast
with LION FIGHT 16 on Friday, July 4, 2014. In honor of this major
milestone, AXS TV FIGHTS will broadcast a special edition of INSIDE
MMA an hour early at 8pE/5pP immediately followed by the live
broadcast of AXS TV FIGHTS: LION FIGHT 16 at 9pE/6pP from the Pearl
at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

The night’s action features headliners Kevin Ross
and Michael
Thompson battling for LION FIGHT’s inaugural super lightweight
championship, former LION FIGHT featherweight champion Tiffany
Van Soest taking on Italy’s Sindy Huyer in the co-main event,
and Thailand’s Rungravee Sasiprapa making his LION FIGHT debut
versus Adrian Morilla. For the first time ever, LION FIGHT’s event
is presented as part of the UFC’s “International Fight Week.”

Lending their iconic voices and adding in-depth analysis to the AXS
TV FIGHTS broadcast, five-time MMA world champion Pat Miletich
and award-winning sports journalist and renowned commentator
Michael “The Voice” Schiavello are ringside, providing live
play-by-play and color commentary throughout the night. In-between
the action, the broadcast features special segments highlighting
the network’s remarkable his tory, including footage from
Miletich’s 2008 retirement fight and highlights from past
international event coverage.

Leading up to the broadcast, AXS TV FIGHTS presents a special
edition of INSIDE MMA, which airs live, on site in Las Vegas.
Series hosts Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten
alongside correspondent Ron Kruck are joined by Miletich and
Schiavello as they welcome AXS TV FIGHTS alumni and relive some of
the most memorable moments from AXS TV FIGHTS.

“When I started AXS TV (formerly HDNET), both high-definition TV
and MMA were in their infancy. I saw a huge opportunity for AXS TV
to be a leader in what later became the fastest growing sport in
America,” said Mark Cuban, AXS TV Founder. “Some 10 years and 250
fights later, this event on July 4 is a testament to the power of
the sport and the unwavering support of its fans.”

“Thanks to our broadcast partnerships with some of the finest
promotions in combat sports, AXS TV Fights has been able to
accomplish this unprecedented achievement broadcasting 250 fights,”
said AXS TV FIGHTS CEO Andrew Simon. “For over a decade, we have
scanned the globe to bring our viewers the best MMA, Muay Thai and
Kickboxing. I want to say thank you to all the promotions, fighters
and fans that have contributed to our long-term success.”

“We are excited to present Lion Fight 16 on the Fourth of July and
to be the 250th fight broadcast on AXS TV,” said Scott Kent,
Lion Fight Founder and CEO. “I give my congratulations and
appreciation to Mark Cuban and Andrew Simon for recognizing the
potential of Lion Fight. I also want to thank UFC owners Dana White
and Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta for making us the first-ever
professional combat sports organization to take part in their
International Fight Week extravaganza. Fight fans are fired up for
Lion Fight 16 and the historic nature of this world class Muay Thai
event."

From the beginning at World Extreme Cagefighting’s “WEC 9: Cold
Blooded” on January 16, 2004 to the premiere of AXS TV FIGHTS: LION
FIGHT 16 on July 4, 2014, AXS TV FIGHTS—formerly HDNET FIGHTS—has
broadcast 250 mixed martial arts and kickboxing events, the most of
any television network. Originally broadcasting each event under
its given promotional title, HDNET adopted the name HDNET FIGHTS to
all of its combat sports coverage in 2007 after broadcasting two
MMA events promoted by Cuban with the same title: “HDNET FIGHTS:
Initiation Night” and “HDNET FIGHTS: Reckless Abandon.” Five years
later, in conjunction with the 2012 partnership between Cuban, AEG,
Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Arts Agency (CAA) and CBS, HDNET
FIGHTS was renamed AXS TV FIGHTS to align with the channel’s
rebrand from HDNET to AXS TV.

In 10 years of combat sports broadcasting, AXS TV FIGHTS has
traveled to 20 different countries covering over 1,500 individual
matches with 41 different fight promotions. From past partnerships
with top promotions such as Affliction, DREAM, GLORY, the
International Fight League (IFL), K-1, ProElite, Strikeforce and
WEC to current deals with world-class organizations like Legacy
Fighting Championship (Legacy FC), LION FIGHT, Maximum Fighting
Championship (MFC) and Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA); AXS TV
FIGHTS has continued its dedication to high-level MMA and
kickboxing event broadcasting.

Over the years, AXS TV FIGHTS has amassed an extensive list of
notable alumni who have risen to stardom through their exposure on
the network. Well-known examples include Benson
Henderson, who climbed the ranks during AXS TV FIGHTS’ coverage
of the MFC; Urijah
Faber, who made his WEC debut at “WEC 19 – Undisputed” in 2006;
and Muhammed
Lawal, whose popularity in the U.S. began with his MMA
television debut while headlining the Japan-based “HDNET FIGHTS:
Sengoku 7” in 2009. AXS TV FIGHTS also boasts a strong connection
with one of the most decorated fighters in combat sports history,
Fedor
Emelianenko, whose multiple appearances on the network include
his first ever live free TV fight on North American cable
television at Yarrenoka on New Year’s Eve 2007 to “Affliction – Day
of Reckoning” and his final fight in Japan at “DREAM – Fight for
Japan: Genki Desu Ka! New Year! 2011.”

Claiming its place in MMA history, AXS TV FIGHTS has brought some
of the sport’s most exciting matchups to a national audience. From
2007 to 2008, the network’s coverage of the IFL featured the
dominance of Roy Nelson as
he won and twice defended the heavyweight title. In June 2008, the
nation experienced the beginning of what has become one of the
greatest MMA rivalries over the last decade when Josh Thomson
and Gilbert
Melendez faced off for the first time on HDNET’s exclusive
coverage of “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Thomson.”

In recent years, AXS TV FIGHTS has continued to showcase the next
generation of MMA and kickboxing stars, such as headline-grabbing
women’s MMA phenom Holly Holm
and her rise to the spotlight fighting for Legacy FC. Other
celebrated fighters include LION FIGHT’s home-grown Muay Thai
superstars Kevin Ross
and Tiffany
Van Soest; current MFC champions Anthony
Hamilton and Sam Alvey, who
have each won and defended their titles in electrifying manner; and
RFA’s recent flyweight champion Matt
Manzanares and middleweight championship contender Andrew
Sanchez.

ABOUT AXS TV FIGHTS AXS TV Fights presents more LIVE mixed martial
arts and kickboxing events than any other television network with
36+ LIVE world-class fight cards each year. Michael "The Voice"
Schiavello and five-time MMA world champion Pat Miletich
call all the action as champions, challengers, and top prospects
take center stage every Friday night at 10pE/7pP. AXS TV Fights can
be found online, on Facebook and on Twitter. AXS TV is widely
distributed in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter,
Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other
cable, satellite and telco providers. The network is also carried
in Canada and the Caribbean.